A joint DEA-Panamanian interdiction operation collapses under the weight of internal betrayal and culminates into a fiasco of human devastation.

A joint DEA-Panamanian interdiction operation collapses under the weight of internal betrayal and culminates into a fiasco of human devastation. From the decimation of a US drug interdiction team to the elimination of an entire Colombian village, IGNOBLE reveals the depravity of those who are a part of a US-Colombian coalition in league with the Zorrilla drug cartel.

Team Bravo leader, Captain Alexander Scott Richter, watches his team disintegrate, man-by-man, while trying to pursue mission objectives. With the help of his long-time colleague, Sergeant Major Clifford Ramsy, Richter realizes mission success—but Bravo's success proves too costly in human life on all sides.
ExcerptRamsy gazed upon their dead and saw eleven. Their body bags laid uniformly to the rushing surf, feet seaward, crowns inland. The images never change, he thought.

He saw blood in the Big War, Korea, and Vietnam. He participated in clandestine operations that no daily report would ever make mention. No matter how great or minuscule in relevance, however, these engagements always resulted in good men dying on both sides.

The battlefields stood different in terrain and weather, of course, and the adversaries frequently displayed dissimilarities in name or feature. It was their ages, innocence, and personal optimism for the morrow that unmasked their commonality. Young men who possessed a ray of hope for the future, but for their own reasons relinquished their tomorrow for the sake of others. They were so young, Ramsy thought. Like himself -- like he was.

How he had survived all of these years was a mystery to him. There was no pragmatic explanation for outlasting a battle, Ramsy believed. You either did it or not. Sometimes he would crawl out of a hole or regain consciousness after the action. Or, he would fight men better trained and adapted than he. And still, after the last bullet struck its mark, he unexplainably stood.

Ramsy looked straight out from the port doorway. He gazed upon the elevating terrain and the endless horizon beyond. He took in the scenery's full intensity while pushing thoughts of the dead into the far recesses of his mind. He refused to allow himself to dwell. At times the burden proved too great.

A team of trained men, led by Captain Richter, is battling the war on drugs in Columbia. But the mission is turning out to be more costly in terms of human life than expected. The Captain watches helplessly as Bravo team is picked off one by one, and a village of innocents is sadistically slaughtered. While the mission succeeds, the affront of moral degradation leaves a lasting effect on the survivors, and often a smear on the names of dead.

“Ignoble” is a well-written example of this genre. The author’s style is vivid, withholding none of the graphic and often necessarily disturbing details. The cast of characters are fascinating, both in their diversity and complexity, which speaks well of the author’s creative ability, having such well-developed characters in such an action-packed genre. The language, however, is complicated to those unfamiliar with military jargon. Sturmen Krieg assists the reader with a glossary of terms in the back of the book, and by often spelling out acronyms in the body of the novel.

Sturmen Krieg is a longtime officer with the US Army, working with Intelligence in Europe.

For fans of this genre, I highly recommend this novel. Those who are trying the war/military novels for the first time, “Ignoble” will certainly give you an unforgettable experience.

This story revolves around a group of soldiers, DEA and civilians doing their part to win the War on Drugs. Their covert mission to capture cocaine, money, and “enemy” is fraught with surprises and danger. Underlying it all is the traitorous behavior of one (or more) of their own who has secretly been lured away by the large sums of money to be made from the cocaine trade.

I’m generally not a “war stories” reader, but yet I found myself quite engrossed in this tale. It is well written, timely, believable, and engaging. Even though the good guys were not your typical heroes, I found myself rooting for them. I look forward to reading the next installments of the trilogy. Well done!

A joint DEA-Panamanian interdiction operation collapses under the weight of internal betrayal and culminates into a fiasco of human devastation. From the decimation of Team Bravo, a U.S. drug interdiction team under the leadership of Captain Alexander Scott Richter, to the elimination of an entire Colombian Village, Ignoble is a riveting drama with spellbinding action from beginning to end. The first of a planned trilogy, Ignoble demonstrates and documents Sturmen Krieg's storytelling skills and keen attention to detail and background for his characters, his story, and the setting. Highly recommended reading that will leave action/ adventure fans looking eagerly toward the next installment of "The Dark Ages" trilogy.